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With the Kurds Fighting Islamic State in Syria

Kurdish forces hold ground and helped save Yazidis but battle on unaided by the West.

By

Terry Glavin

Sept. 22, 2014 6:51 p.m. ET

Shirik, Syria

In the shade of pine trees at a hilltop command post deep in this dismembered country's far northeast, Adam Derike, commander of a company of youthful Kurdish guerrillas, will not guess the outcome or even the good sense of President Obama's plans to lead an air-war coalition against Islamic State jihadis.

But the 35-year-old Cmdr. Derike, who leads 45 fighters with the Syrian Kurdish YPG, or local defense...